FateMaelstrom
by TheCandyConjurer
Summary: Kyle Raito has been living with his mother in an unnamed city for years now, until she died two months ago. Kyle is a Magus, and is dragged into a Holy Grail War in the unnamed city.
**AN: This idea has been going around my head for quite some time now. I shelved it for two years and finally got the inspiration to write it again after finishing Fate Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works. I've been a fan of the Fate series since 2010 so I know most things about the Holy Grail War. Consider this a teaser of sorts. Enjoy! Ratings/Comments appreciated. :)**

Prologue

The Servant moved through the dark corridors of the building unimpended by the darkness. She navigated through the darkness quickly, being used to running through it many times. Her master, whoever she was, had instructed her to meet with Archer's master. While the Ritual itself had yet to formally begin, her master thought it wise to form an alliance with Archer's master.

Be careful though. She is a cautious witch, almost as cautious as I am.

"Cautious. Hah. More like paranoid."

She knew what the word meant, yet it wasn't something she would have said in the era she came from. Traps ranging from magical wards and triggers had tried to attack her as she walked through the damn building.

The building was an abandoned condominium complex in the middle of the city. It was surrounded by barren land and was situated in an abandoned part of the city, a perfect place for a master to wait the war out if he wished. Furthermore, bounded fields slowed anyone who would try to approach the building from the side, in which case the Servant of the Bow would simply snipe them to their deaths. A natural fortress of trickery, apt for the Servant Archer. Her skill, Presence Concealment could have helped, but she saw no point in wasting her skill to meet Archer's Master. After all, she wasn't here for a battle, she was here to facilitate a negotiation. In her previous life, she had worked as a diplomat from time to time, arguing with equals in government.

However.

Archer's master obviously wanted to test her skills. As such, as soon as she entered the building, traps of all sorts had materialized. Unfortunately for her, she wasn't much of an acrobat in her previous life thus she wasn't able to detect them until triggered. Luckily, the swiftness that had been granted her thanks to the "shell" she was summoned in allowed her dodge the enemy. Too often would she trip on a tripwire, causing a bow from some corner of the room to shoot at her. In which case, she would deflect it using her golden knife.

That hurts.

While the lady was stronger than an average human, the problem was that she was summoned under the class of Assassin. She wasn't supposed to have strength to withstand pain. She worked better out of combat altogether.

The Servant Assassin was not a combatant in life. Rather, she was used to using diplomacy and subterfuge to achieve her goals. Nevertheless, when the Grail called for her, she answered its summons, despite having never been in direct combat her life. Yet, the chance to see the world outside of the Throne of Heroes was not one any "hero" would miss out on.

"So you've come Assassin."

A silhouette of a woman appeared before her. The woman had a dangerous aura around her, yet somehow Assassin could not make out her appearance. Somehow, an illusion was wrapped around her which changed the appearance of the woman at intervals ever slightly, preventing the Servant from making a judgment as to the height or build of the person.

"I take it that you are Archer's master?"

"Indeed. It appears that my sister has informed me about you and your… Noble Phantasm."

"Tch. So somehow, she told you about my Noble Phantasm and my true identity."

"Oh no she wouldn't betray you like that. Rather she warned me about preparing against you, were you to betray us. Seeing you merely confirmed my suspicions about your identity, but I have already taken the proper countermeasures to ensure that it doesn't become a problem."

An ability to manipulate form, or rather, perception. The actual form of the magus in front of her had not changed. In reality, it was her expertise in altering one's perception that produced a minor illusion, yet it was significant enough that Assassin could not discern the details of the magus in front of her. She reckoned that while the Magus was probably somewhere in the room, the use of the Illusion distorted her sight. A formidable opponent indeed.

"I am, a trickster of sorts." The magus said coolly. "Magical traps, triggers, illusions are part of my specialty. I suppose I'll tell you that at least, seeing you allowed me to discern your true identity."

"Interesting. Would you mind telling me how my Master was able to contact you then?"

The magus produced a photo from thin air. At least, that was how it appeared to Assassin. It showed a message carved onto a building with the words; "Alliance? Don't trust my Servant."

"The Servants of the Archer Class have the eyes of a Marksman. They can see from afar with little difficulty, hence why I sent a message to her in kind. I presume you are listening, Ver?"

"Master, I would think that Assassin's master would be pissed at knowing you gave away their name."

A new voice joined them. The man had a regal aura, like that of the king. Yet somehow, there was hint of mischief in his voice and a light spring in his step. The man stepped out of the shadows and into the moonlight, revealing himself to Assassin.

"I saw you coming to the building from literally a mile away, add to the fact that someone triggered the traps my Master and I had set so skillfully, well, it could only have been Lancer or Assassin. Yet, the overseer has informed us that Lancer had not yet been called thus it was easy to surmise that you were Assassin."

Asssassin saw that the man wore a white tunic with a navy blue sash on one side. A quiver of bronze arrows was worn at his side. Leather sandals worn on his feet allowed him incredible mobility.

Yet, she too wore a similar tunic. It was held together by a purple sash at her waist. Fingerless gloves covered her hands holding knives of enchanted gold. The tunic was worn on her like a short skirt, and similar sandals were worn on her legs.

It could be said that the two of them would have been natural enemies. After all, her people had stolen the culture of his people. That would have been enough to incite animosity between them. Yet in this Holy Grail War, they were being forced to take sides.

"I find it ironic that for me being a Servant that could be used to take quick decisive strikes, I'm paired with a master that prefers subterfuge and illusion while you on the other hand, have a Master that prefers the direct approach."

"I suppose, but the thing is, my master is a very patient woman. Unlike your master, she prefers to keep herself in public, as she might tell me. But we have never seen face to face. We only met during the summoning. As soon as I revealed my identity to her, she decided not to tell her's to me to prevent me from using my Noble Phantasm on her person. Well, as a precaution."

"I see, unlike my master, who is a trickster and coward your master is working as a strategist."

"Ehem." The woman interrupted them. "Can we go back to the topic at hand?"

Insulted, the woman removed the illusion and stepped out into the shadows.

The woman had greying hair and deep black eyes. Compared to Assassin, the woman was of slim build. She wore a black blazer accentuated by a blue tie, and a black skirt. Assassin also noticed the Command Seals on her left hand, which had been shaped like three crooked wings in a spiral formation.

"I accept the proposal of alliance. However, I would like my sister to know that this building is not a fortress, but a trap in itself. If a Servant should try to attack us from afar, Archer can snipe them from range. With the distance from the city, I expect that teleportation would be the only way a Servant could escape unscathed from his arrows. But in a head to head fight, I'm pretty sure my Archer would defeat any Servant."

"My Master approves. She also says that she would like to meet on neutral ground to discuss strategy. She will state the time and place by the same manner soon, once the last Servant has been summoned."

With that, the Servant of Assassination left the trap infested Ivory Tower.


End file.
